Legend of Zelda: The Hero of Fate
by carlosevaristo34
Summary: This story is based on a different timeline theory, and is after the Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask, which involves our world as well, but only briefly.It adds another hero and princess to the mix and decided to leave it up to the real fans to see if it is any good. The beginning chapter is just my reason for writing it. I repeat, the story starts the next chapter.
1. A Little Something to the Reader

A little something to the reader

The reason I came up with to write this story, came from an essay I wrote in high school. It had something to do with these six pillars of kindness the school attempted to drill into our heads. I'm adding it just to express why I have kept this game so near and dear to my heart for so long. It's not exactly a part of the story, but it is made with the same heart that I put into the story, so here it goes, comments are welcome to any part of the story. Now here is the essay:

My Thoughts on a Hero

As a child, I was always in search of a quiet place where I could relax and free my mind, a place where I could be of some help to those in need. For me, that place was in a game called "The Legend of Zelda". I played as Link, using my wits to solve puzzles, or thinking of what was the smartest way to beat the next boss…only to know that all of this was done to save just a portion of his country. I moved him from one little province to another getting rid of a ghost, or helping a troubled soul along the way. Each and every time I helped a person, I slowly but surely felt a certain responsibility, to these digital people feeling as though a denizen of there country would feel. I felt a certain obligation, in playing the game, as if feeling the trust of the people, to this hero, to save them from destruction.

The cold, empty truth came to my mind, though, when the game was shut off. I had to face what was my life. Having only been but a mere nine years old, I lost my house, my dog, my guitar, and my game that allowed me to be the hero. But with those things gone, finally, I stopped to realize, where are the heroes are now? It took the firemen until the house was burned to the ground to show up. Even then, the only thing they salvaged were the ashes of my old life, my childhood. Alas, all battles in life can't be won, but lessons learned. I respect the somewhat of an effort they had, and almost trusted my mother and father when they explained to me everything was going to be alright. I knew better by then. The fire had caused me to trust few to none and from then on and that's how I was.

By now you're reading this and have been informed of something the title didn't suggest, a part of my life, to me, this is how I explain a hero. He is the one to be respected, the one who holds the weight of his people and succeeds without fail. The people (in the game) have learned to trust in the legend of the fairy boy who came from the woods with a certain aura about him; they knew this to be their hero. I have a question for you now, how does one know of what a hero is in this time? Is it the officer, who is undercover, risking his or her life for a bust and turning crooked in the process, or is it the politician who supposedly fights and lectures for his peoples benefit, with his hidden agenda for the opposite?

My opinion is that the only heroes left are the unspoken individuals who do right without want of fame or money. Example being when a soldier falls on the battlefield, he may have lost his trust in his allies, in his beliefs, and himself, until the one brave soul comes to help him up and get him to safety. His actions only showing the want to know his friend will live. Or when an individual is having problems with life and just wants everything to go silent and numb. As his mind becomes a game being played, with malice intentions, increasing his slow seepage into a devastating depression, which would be fit for Poe, a friend comes to pick him up from the darkness to show that light still exists, that he was just blinded by the situation before, with no guidance. Those people who bring back those in need, are the worlds' heroes now, those are the people who deserve our respect and trust. Sadly though, the denizens of this world only realize the glamour statues that are actors/actresses, ball players, and etc. as their idols, as their

"See-Through Titans"

From time to time, I'll sometimes feel a nostalgic moment needed so I plug in the new system, pop in the game, and listen to that magical opening sequence that was once so dear to me when I was young. I play the game even to this day, but it seems to me something has changed. Though I know it's not possible, I'd rather live there in that place, rather than here. For the fact, that I could be the hero, the old fashioned champion who goes to the edges of the world and back, to restore peace to my world. Once again, though, I seldom like to come to the realization that there will be no more great legends made in this time or near future. There will be no more Beowulf or Heracles of the ancient lore. For now, we must trust and respect one another, for in us, are the true champions, the Titans, the heroes. If decided so, you could be that soldier's ally who saves him from death on an unknown soil, away from home, away from family. You can be the friend who shows the light to those in darkness. The Legend of Zelda is just a game with a fictional hero, but like in life, we have too many fakes, too many posing to do well. This world needs more heroes.

Do you think you can be one of them? And if so, remember, one can never start too soon nor too late, but just in the nick of time.


	2. Chapters 1-4

CH.1

A New Beginning

I did it, the Festival is tomorrow, and I can honestly say I am truly happy. To finally be able to sit down and write is nice, considering what I have done to get here, its heaven. My friends and family were able to fill me in on some parts, but it wouldn't be right if I didn't start from the beginning, well end of my semester.

"Sounds legit, but you were always good at writing; honestly I should have had you write mine." Mido jumped down the fallen giant (a big tree that fell in the woods a long time ago, but knew for a fact everyone heard it) "Yeah, you think so, man?" he shrugged, "well, to be honest, I thought it was a little boring, also a tad bit preachy. You made a good point, though with your "hero" essay, Captain America is a beast" I sighed "thanks for the critique." Mido had been my friend for as long as I could remember. He's always found trouble for us though, but I have had his back through thick and thin. A lot of our trouble came from him still acting like a kid, but you take the bad with the good, so I never complained. "So, Charlie, what did Fletch talk to you about after class?" for a split second his voice returned to its childhood nature, "…I mean did she talk to you about your paper?" I was still puzzled from our visit, "I don't know, man, it was weird. She told me I had a chance to win the contest, but there was an issue with the last paragraph. She asked me to reread it and find out what was wrong, but I didn't find anything. I told her, but she shook her head, smiled, then lightly replied with, "I think you are wrong, our world does have a real hero, we're just waiting for him to find his cause."

Fletch smiled but looked different for a moment, it looked like she was…I don't know, relieved." But Mido broke my train of thought, "Bro, don't put too much thought into it, she's as spacy as…"then he just bolted off, "She's as spacy as what? Mido, where are you going? Yoo…"I sighed then started chasing him through the woods, until I finally caught up, to find him standing in front of this giant hollow tree stump, staring into the abyss. "…so, Charlie, look familiar?" as I was panting, I got out, "What do you mean familiar, you've dragged me all around these woods, of course it looks familiar." Mido was usually all in with the sarcasm, well except for today. "Na, man this gates different…" then he took off again, this time he ran into this so called gate, so as any other good friend, I followed. "Yo, bro, where you at?" as I looked around, I had a feeling these woods weren't the same as before, it was like the life was taken from them, almost as if they were frozen in time.

I was walking aimlessly, looking for my lost friend, until I started hearing whispers coming from the trees. The only things I could piece together from them, was first that their voices were soft, and somewhat innocent. Secondly, that it sounded like they were surrounding me. Freaked out, I started running, but being the klutz I am, I tripped a few times until I finally got to this clearing. While I was walking past the remaining trees, I could make out a small scarecrows silhouette, playing some kind of flute, in the center of the grove. Drawing closer, I tried being completely silent, but as I reached it, it stopped and turned around. Its eyes were beady, but playful, which matched its voice, "Nice, you made it, now I have a question for you…" caught off guard I said, "ok? Please tell me it involves asking me if I'm hungry and need a drink, cause both would be appreciated at this point"

"Well, no, but forgive me, let's start this more formally, the names Skull Kid, and would you like to play a game?" I didn't know playing a game was formal, but when in Rome, "Uh…sure, what's the name of the game?" he, well I think it was a he, snickered, "Glad you asked, the game is called, "Follow the Leader", not literally of course, but with that…" I noticed a nudge to my foot, to my surprise, I looked down to find this small wood creature, holding up this odd wood, flute. "Now Charlie, we cannot play the game if you don't pick up your instrument, and do not mind my friend, he's harmless." As soon as I picked up my new gadget, the little creature scuttled away. "So Skull Kid, how do you know my name and how do you expect me to be able to play this thing that I have never used, or even seen before?" his head bobbled playfully, as he sighed "So many questions, but I'll answer both by just saying that you're our hero, Charlie."

My face went vacant' "Uh…Little vague don't you think? All I have seen so far are these woods, so I might as well be in a tree world. Sorry, Mr. Kid, but I'm not your guy." After me saying that, though, I looked around as this weird nostalgia kicked in. I turned my attention to the grove surrounding me, for some reason, this place did seem familiar. "Where are we anyway?" I could see he was getting a little antsy, "The lost woods if you must know, and you had actually surprised me, I didn't expect you to find me so fast, but enough pleasantries for now. Ready your stance, we are about to play…come, come ocarina at hand." Somewhat instinctively, I put the mouthpiece to my lips. Once he started, the notes seemed to echo through the woods, almost as if this world stood still waiting for my reply, to which my fingers graciously mimicked back the tune. Suddenly, the woods had a gust of wind blow through, and then kept a steady breeze; it was like these trees were coming to life.

Bewildered, I looked around at the ground, just to make sure none of these shrubs decided to uproot themselves to take a stroll, when I heard Skull Kid chuckle "So it's indeed you, these woods haven't heard the song played like that since the Forest Sage, Saria, played her rendition." As I looked around again, I now saw these bugs or whatever they were, floating through the air. The breeze had seemed to subside as well. I almost forgot about my wayward friend "oh, um, by chance, have you seen another person running through this place? His name's Mido." Skull Kid merely shook his head "Sorry, but no, alas your friend has joined the others of his kind, don't worry though, he has completed his task, and can now rest." My eyes bulged "Rest?! He's dead?!" but Skull Kid stopped me before any further outburst "No, you misunderstood. He is alive, just unreachable at this moment in time. Let us not get ahead of ourselves. I need you to follow the path behind me and sooner or later you will reach a small village. If need be, play "Sarias' Song" if anyone questions your motives. When you enter, look for a woman by the name of Malon, play her this song and she will know it's you…ocarina at the ready, please." This next song had a more calming, country-like tone to it, "This piece is called "Eponas' Song", and our last hero had used it to call his steed. Now go, she's been waiting to see you, and she will explain more when you arrive, good luck." Then in a flash (literally a flash) he was gone.

I walked the path at a pretty easy pace; all the time that I have spent with Mido had taught me to appreciate nature, so a leisurely walk seemed necessary so I could try and process what I had just started. I don't know how long I walked, but it was nearly night time. I had just walked past this little nook of a spring, when I was greeted by this rusty armored, soldier. He seemed just as surprised to see me as I was to see him. "Young man, be you friend or foe?" to that I replied "I was sent by Skull Kid and am here to see Malon." The man looked perplexed, but asked with resolve "How have you found this place, and what business do you have with our mayor?" I sighed, and pulled out the ocarina "Once again, Skull Kid showed me the way, he also told me to play this for anyone who would question my intent…" I then proceeded to play "Sarias' Song" and the guard gasped. "My apologies, Hero, follow me."

The guard lead me through a trail, as we were walking; we passed by this old abandoned tree house. He told me it was haunted, and left it at that; which honestly caught my interest even more. Once that attraction was behind us, we walked through the actual gate of the town, which could have been a Hallmark country-side picture. There was a pond, on one side of the area, which branched off into a stream across the village. The houses were dotted alongside it, all except for the one house built into a dead tree. Walking through, everyone waved and started to get excited when they saw me. Hell, even some of the kids tagged along behind us in a march, like it was time to head to war. Walking through this humble, rural province, that same feeling of nostalgia was coming back; I shook it off when we arrived to this horse ranch. "She is inside, and for your own safety, I suggest you knock first." He stepped aside, and then sauntered back to his post. I did knock, but walked in immediately anyway.

As I entered, I couldn't help but feel comfortable. In a moment, though, I saw the mayor sitting by her hearth. Feeling bold I walked up to her. As I reached her, in a somewhat peeved voice, she asked "What business do you have here? We welcome visitors, but right now the village is having a rough season, so please stay to restock, and then be on your way." I hesitated but asked "Hold on, um, I know this sounds a little weird but can I play you a song?" She then stood up and walked over to the fire place, I couldn't really make out what she looked like in that dim of light. "I am sorry to tell you this but I do not really enjoy music anymore. There's no… " her voice trailed off as she turned around as I pulled out my proof of identity, then she murmured "Where…where did you get that?" I smiled and asked her to just listen. I started to play and she turned away and started to tear and whispered "…it's you…you have come home."

She spoke to low for me to hear so I asked "Uh is there something wrong?" she hurriedly replied, but with a different demeanor. "It's nothing, get to bed, we start training tomorrow." She had just spun me for a loop "What happened to me leaving" She smirked "I could reconsider and have you sleep in the stable, or you can just shut your mouth and follow me." She walked me over to this bed near the fireplace, and gave me a pillow, sheet, and etc. I interjected though "I couldn't possibly take your bed." Not looking at me, she walked over to this other door and answered "It was my sons' bed; he fell asleep faster when he was near the fire, but I could never find the heart to get rid of it after he left…now goodnight hero." Then she disappeared into another room, so I set up my bed to try and get some well-earned rest.

When I finally did fall asleep, I dreamt that this woman was trapped in this marble cell. When I was able to focus on her, I could make out a white cloak. It was like she sensed I could see her or something, because she then proceeded to retract her hood a little. I could discern, she had blue hair flowing out, then she simply said "Hurry, Hero, I've been waiting… "Then her image faded "Rise and shine, put these on and meet me outside." I was still replaying the dream in my head, when she threw an old cloth, sack bag at me. When I looked inside, I found some green threads. "What's wrong with my clothes, ah I get it, too comfy right?" she looked flustered, "No, child. Every hero since time immemorial has donned these sacred garments. " I grinned, "So…hand-me-downs?" her face turned to stone, as she walked to the door, and opened it up, which had blinded my eyes for a second "For the one who is destined to save his people from evil, you have the discipline and mannerisms' of a fool." I was confused from the night before "You were joking with me last night, what…"but she cut me off "You're right, that was last night, and this is today. The time for jesting has passed. Now is the time for you to be respectful, follow what I say precisely, and don't talk unless spoken too. Now get dressed, we only have a short time to get you ready." This stopped any further comments coming from my person.

As I was getting ready for my apparent boot camp, I started putting on my "sacred garments". Everything actually didn't fit to bad, but I kept my other clothes in the bag. While walking to the door, my dream came back to mind. Was I really the Hero this woman, and this "Skull Kid", has told me I'm meant to be? Well for another time, as I walked out the door I was sternly greeted with a jab to the chest. I managed to yell out in a grated voice, "Where was the warning?!" she replied haughtily, "Your enemy will not hesitate, so why should I when I train you?" reluctantly I coughed up "…makes…sense…" I looked for a helping hand up, but she left me on the ground as she walked away dictating, "When we train, you will address me as Master Malon, and I will address you as my apprentice…and if you as much as utter anything smart or sly…you will quickly be reacquainted with the ground. Do I make myself clear?"

Still recovering; I looked up to get a better view of my teacher. She had fiery, red hair with piercing azure colored eyes, with a kind of gold tint to them. She was actually a little shorter than I was, but I could tell from her jab, she had more strength then a woman of her stature should have, which was weird because she fit the profile of a country debutante. I did notice, though, the only piece of jewelry she wore, was this ruby red armlet. The brace had something scribbled on it, but I couldn't make out what it was. As I was crawling back onto my feet; I dusted myself off, and managed to croak, "Crystal but…" She cut me off before I could finish, "Any questions or comments you have will be answered when the days over." I Stood up straight and replied with, "Yes, Master Malon." She then continued to edict our game plan for training. "Good, we will start with hand-to-hand, and then move to staff work, which will leave blade wielding for last, and don't even waste your breath, you need to crawl before you can walk, but you've figured that out already, haven't you?" She actually let out a chuckle.

The first day gave me insight on what the rest of my time training would be like. I found out that Malon was not joking, she attacked relentlessly. The first week was all about this fighting style she called "Intercepting Fist". It's like being able to fight against any opposing force, by drawing the opponent to attack first, or even in some instances, stopping them in their track entirely with quick, decisive movements. After the seventh day, we had moved onto the staff. Which luckily I picked up on pretty quick, which meant it only took five days full of getting beaten with a stick. I can't say she was a total tyrant, though. We would take breaks to eat, but she would also lead me through the village, I was kind of like an aide to help her with anything she needed. Some days, she woke me up early so we could walk through the woods. While we were walking, she taught me some foraging lessons, like certain berries to eat, and some plants to avoid. I noticed that when we weren't training, her sharp eyes dulled to a more placid blue. She even gave me this simple little, lure fishing rod, in case we stopped near any rivers or streams.

Before we started with the staff, my curiosity had gotten the best of me. We sparred for only half the day, then she told me training was finished concerning hand-to-hand. "Good, Charlie, I have a few things to do, though, so we are going to stop for the day. Go to the village and see if anyone needs any help." I sighed and nodded as I walked away. With my new found freedom, that tree house came back into my mind. I started into the village, all the whilewaving and chatting to those who crossed my path, but was determined to make it to my destination. Once I reached the place, the eerie thought of what could have happened in that tree house for someone to abandon it started to creep into thought. The remnants of the house were barely intact giving the tree the appearance that the house was growing out of it. I saw the ladder to the top didn't look too bad, so I cautiously made my way up.

As I reached the top, I noticed the door had a symbol on it, and stepped up to it to touch when the door creaked open. I hesitated, but felt something nudge me forward. Once in the house, I did a three-sixty look around the room to find a bunch of dust and cobwebs. Suddenly a torch lit up above this dark hole in the corner. I walked over and found a ladder leading to this weird basement, but it was too dark to meddle around without light, so I grabbed the torch to take down there with me. As I hopped off the ladder and did another three-sixty look at this new room. I noticed a lot of nails in the wall, missing their fanfare, but then my attention was drawn to this chest, sitting under a medal shield with the same symbol, as the one on the door. I looked for a place for my torch when I noticed mounts with other torches around the room. I decided to light the rest and then found a spot for the one in my hand. I looked back to the chest and was in awe at the opulence of the craftsmanship put into it. I rushed towards it, took a deep breath (hoping the box didn't blow up) and opened it up to find this sword. As I unsheathed the weapon, I saw it was black with this brilliant gold diamond pattern inlaid to the hilt as well as down the whole body. Upon further inspection of the chest, I found an interesting magnifying glass, along with an even more curious bunny ear hat. I strapped on this new sword on my back, when I heard noise upstairs. I tried putting everything back when Malon surprised me by saying loudly "Breaking and entering, are we?" I froze "uhh" she then walked closer in a relaxed tone said "You have 1 second to drop the sword and get back to the house, before I make you wish you that your biggest problem was a broken leg." As I yelped away like a little Chihuahua, I didn't know, but she grabbed my spoils, packed them away into the sack with my clothes and walked back behind me. That was the last time that tree house came to mind, for either of us. Considering the effort she was putting into training, I couldn't spare the energy.

On the last day of our staff training session, I asked her what was the point of learning the non-lethal stuff and she merely replied "Not every battle is won by killing your opponent; sometimes you can just beat the sense into your adversary instead." To which she smiled to, cause by then I figured out she found pain funny, go figure. "You are learning quick, apprentice" I grinned back "Thanks, but some skills start to become second nature when your head starts welting up to a certain point" We were walking back to the house and I was happy my sarcasm had grown on her, I couldn't take any more hits after that days lessons. "True…" She sighed and stopped me before we got through the door, then for a brief second her voice turned from joking, to a more caring quality "but tomorrow is the real work. A sword is no laughing matter, so really focus, ok?" I still could tell she was serious because of the sharp look she gave me, but I was quick, "Was that a rhetorical question? I can barely walk now and you've been fighting with a stick." Her face lit up, "Hmm, very true, then I have good news…" then my smile left me "more welts with a sequoia for you tomorrow. We train with wooden swords, wouldn't want you to die while I'm trying to teach you, would I?" I looked around on my skin real quick to count the bruises, then looked back to her, she was serious, but with a smirk.

"I guess not," I cracked a smile. "I have another question and I know it's not my place, but where did you learn all this stuff?" We had just walked through the threshold. I stopped and looked on as she walked over to the fireplace. She sparked it up and without looking; she spoke somberly "I was married once, some time ago. He was a great hero of the people, the Hero of Time; he had saved the kingdom from a great evil. When he taught me different things throughout the years, he wanted to make sure I could defend myself, if he ever had to leave again…Sorry, Charlie, I am really tired tonight, so I think I'll get to bed early, goodnight…" then she walked off. She made it clear that family was a touchy subject, but for some reason, it was plucking my nerve real bad, but I didn't want to make things worse.

My stomach helped me change my focus to food, so assault on the kitchen commenced, which brought disappointment, because I forgot I was basically back in the middle ages, so when I checked the cupboards, I only found some dried fish and salt. As I moved to the bed, with my stomach still growling, reality kicked in, was my family ok, how was I going to make up work, and how am I supposed to get back? I got caught up in my own thoughts, I said go back instead of go home, what was happening...

CH.2

The last hero

The castle was dark and dreary (Which followed the norm now a days), while standing on the castle terrace, one of the kings subordinates had walked up and kneeled before him. "Your majesty, we have received word that a gate has been used to enter the kingdom, also…the woods, they draw breath again." To which he merely shrugged off "let them be, the people are at unrest as it is, no need to bother them with trivial fables. Now back to your post." The Queen was sitting at her throne, her eyebrows raised, but the rest of her face remained detached. "You are right, dear, King, but…" she took a well-deserved relaxed breath, "It was foretold that the last hero will return in a time of great darkness" the King had begun to walk back into the throne room, towards the Queen.

He took his strides proudly and spoke in much of the same way, but with a more malicious undertone. "True, but who's going to come when the Hero is already ruling as King" He sneered and walked even closer to her throne, "I saved the kingdom from the last of the evil in our world, so what darkness are you speaking of, my dear?" At this point he was standing right in front of her. She was hesitant, but remained in her solemn composure. "You're right, my King, the last tragedy must have been avoided, due to your victory. Forgive me for my insolence." He bent down to her level and lightly placed his hand on her chin, but she shook it off. "You are forgiven, but think before you speak, my dear, next time I will not let you go so easy." She managed a smile, as the king tarried off to his chambers.

Her mind was racing, was the king right, and was he truly the last hero? Impossible, they had to have made it through, if they didn't, all was lost. The kings' ruthless nature had even shaped the castle towns' livelihood. The town use to be filled with produce stores, homes, some retail stores, even a game or two to take your mind off bustling city life, but now, it was different. Brothels and bars crowded the streets, which drew much of the same kind of people; the real town's people had left the castle and were forced to find refuge with the other villages in the kingdom, on the base reason that the town was no longer their home. It became a town of thieves and murderers, which was the Queens only reason she was happy she couldn't leave the castle. She could not wait any longer; someone needed to stop him and even if the person who came through the gate was just an ornery traveler, she at least was going to try and find them. If they couldn't help her, she was going to save them, no one else deserved to be trapped in the cursed land…

"Charlie! Charlie, let's go!" Malon screamed me out of a sound sleep, "Wait, and hold up, what's going on?" she spoke quickly, "No time for questions right now, we need to hurry to the stables quick." Malon was looking immensely worried, which hit me hard considering I never knew she was aware that emotion existed. "OK, well, what…" she was quick, she already had my bag in hand, but when she threw it to me, I peeked inside to find the loot I found in the tree house, including the shield. I was about to ask her about the house, when she spoke over me "Quickly, you must follow me." Once we stepped outside I could feel the turmoil in the air. We rushed to the stables, to find only one horse, "Where's mine, or any other horse for that matter." She glared at me then started packing on our equipment "Well for one reason, I look after the towns' horses when they're sick. The second reason, being that I am the only one living here, why have more than I can handle. The last reason is simple, from what I've seen of all your other skills, this is your first time even seeing a horse, so shut up, get on, and let's go."

As we jumped on, I heard a loud crash; a scared feeling crept up my neck as I asked "What is going on in the village?" Malons' face was cold as stone, "The King has found out you are here and it looks like he has sent guards to come and kill you. We'll be safe at my cousins, but we must hurry." Then we were off. I could see smoke billowing from the little hamlet, and then knew I had to at least try to be this "hero". I already owed these people and all they did, was let me enter the town.

We had been riding for what seemed to be forever, until thankfully, Malon halted the horse. "We will stop here for the night and rest." I sighed in relief "Finally, so what is our faithful steeds' name?" Malon actually liked this question, "Her name is Ava, her mother belonged to the last hero, so peril and danger are in her blood. She seems to like you, though, so that's a good sign." She smiled, as she got out a carrot for my new friend, "Malon, who is the king, I mean, how did he gain any power if he's such a bad guy?" her face turned grim yet again, "Do you enjoy making me miserable? Just know, he is a bad man, and needs to be brought to justice."

She was fuming so I attempted to defuse the situation, and calm her down, "True, good point, but on an unrelated note, where does your cousin live?" but she snapped. "Why so many questions? Do you have issues with regular conversation, or are you just that simple of a person? I swear, since you arrived, you haven't spoken a sentence that didn't end in a question mark." That took me back, "I'm sorry, but you should give me a break. In case you didn't know, I got here by walking through a gigantic, dead tree stump. So please inform me of the proper way to act in this situation." Her face relaxed, as she sighed "…, I know that you were thrown into this, but you are the last hope for the people of the land. You have to be mindful of how I feel as well. You are nothing that I expected you to be, young hero. I thought you would have been more disciplined and knowledgeable of your destiny. Clearly your guardian did not do their job."

Malon didn't look like she was trying to hurt my feelings; just speaking her mind, but I wanted to know more about this other person, "Guardian? The only person that has constantly been with me was Mido, and I was covering him most of the time." She frowned and started muttering to herself; "This earth must have been more corrupt than we thought they must have rushed through the gate and were unable to shield themselves to retain their will." she walked to Ava and grabbed a bag holding our tent. "Malon, if I may interject with one last question and please don't bite my head off." She was busy putting up our tent, but nodded her head in approval, "What is the prophesy for me, I mean what does the legend say will happen? It's a little weird, but I have been dreaming about this girl, she's trapped in some cell and is asking for my help, but I have the faintest idea of where she is."

Malon sighed; she had just finished putting up the tent then turned to me and said "The legend states that the son of the "hero" king will rise against his father, aided by the Light royal maiden and the Twilight lineage, to return balance to the land of light." Her words sounded rehearsed, but certain "Now that is all that I will tell you now, I am not too fond of the story, sorry. For you to be dreaming of a damsel in distress is another good sign though. We need to get some rest now; we won't stop tomorrow until we reach our destination." My mind started to race, as I was trying to connect all the dots. The only solid thought I could form was this, "…you are saying that I am the son of the Hero King, how do you stop a hero? No, better yet, am I bad if I am his son" after a long sigh, I spoke sadly "...I at least wish my mother was here, she must have been an angel or patron saint to have been able to deal with him."

We started to settle into the tent as she grew solemn "I knew her, she was naive and trusting, but she had a great sense of good and evil. She knew you were being hunted and got you out in time, she was no angel or saint, just a fool who believed in happy endings, now get some rest "apprentice" that's an order." But my mouth had gotten the best of me "It doesn't matter what you say, "Master" Malon, I have this old memory that always confused me, but I guess it makes sense now. It's only like ten seconds, but it is of these women. One of them walked over to me, her eyes were beautiful and her smile radiated, which brings me to believe she was an angel, but I digress, her voice sounded so serene when she spoke softly, "I will always love you, my dearest son, and even when I can't be there physically, I will always be with you in here" then she patted my chest, kissed my head, then walked out of view.

The other one, shrouded in black, hovered over; her eyes were orange and almost cat like, she quickly told me "Here little man this piece of your heritage will help keep you off his highness radar" then the woman smiled then looked away to these other people, "Now let's leave, Mi…" and that is about all I remember, so please, if I'm correct and the first woman is my mom, when it comes to badmouthing her, don't… she doesn't deserve anything less than the best, considering she lost her husband and little old me."

I couldn't see it then, but her eyes started to tear up and she only responded with "Just go to sleep, Charlie. Maybe your Cat-woman will tell you something helpful to find that damsel of yours…" Only sleep was not an option at that point. The only thing that was playing in my head, courtesy of Malon, was that memory. I always thought it was just some weird dream, but I guess, my old life was the dream. Mother was beautiful, kind, and I only saw a glimpse of her, but that cat woman, I wondered what the hell she put in my hand, then I drifted to sleep… "Dear Hero, I can feel you are close, keep going we will meet soon…"

They moved swiftly around the guards, but stopped for a moment to catch their breath "Where are we going, sis?" The two daughters of the people, had made it out of the castle unseen, and headed to the carriage waiting outside its walls "We need to get you somewhere safe, Signy, so quiet your voice and let's hurry…" A soldier doing his rounds started coming close to the royal duo, but Anastasia's sister was quick and pulled her behind some crates, but the little girl was nervous, so she whispered "…you still haven't told me where we…" but she was quieted by her sibling "I am sorry dear sister, I didn't want it to come to this, but I have to send you away to a scary place. You will be guarded by a horrific monster, but I promise you the Hero will set you free."

They had made it past the walls and had just reached the carriage when the information finally processed into Anastasias head "Wait, why? Why does their need to be a monster? Why are you doing this?" The Queens' voice grew grim, "I fear the last prophecy has come to fruition, so I need you to be brave and trust me when I say he will come for you. I do have a present for you, it's a special bracelet. It will guide you to the light, even in your darkest hour. There is no time to wait, dear Signy; you must go, but promise me you won't lose faith"

The child was crying, "Ok, I promise…but…but, Zelda, you are coming with me, right?" the Queen looked away, "Yet again, I am sorry, I have to stay here to keep the Kings suspicions down, and to help the people as much as I can. You will be fine dearest sister; I will see you when the time comes. I love you, goodbye…" Zelda hugged and kissed her sister on the head, closed the door, and signaled the driver off, and then in moments, the carriage was gone.

"Hey, "Hero" over here!" I opened my eyes but couldn't believe them. I was in this extravagant temple, filled with amazing stained glass portraits of battles, being held up by tall columns; the color reminiscent of the whitest snow. While gawking around, my eyes turned to the same hooded figure from my memory, she started mumbling to herself "Hmm, shorter than I expected, and where did the dark hair come from…eh doesn't matter, he started thinking of little old me, so we haven't lost all hope." The figure hovered over to me and those cat-eyes were unmistakable, I attempted to form a thought "…it's you…where am I, how did you find me, and what did you put in my hand?"

Her eyes looked even more mischievous than Skull Kids, with much of the same attitude "Why Charlie, my ears were ringing, so I had to find out who was talking about me, but we can save the Q & A for later," She chuckled a bit "but I will tell you this. We are in the Temple of Time, home to the Master Sword. I am going to help you get here, but first we need to discuss the task at hand." I was getting use to crazy things happening but this was getting ridiculous. I couldn't even get a good night sleep without having to learn something. "OK, cat-woman, but if you intend on teaching me anything, I would stop there. Malon has been beating me senseless for almost two weeks now, so please enlighten my understanding of your "dream" task."

The woman started giggling "I see we will get along just fine, but my name isn't cat-woman, it's Midna. I will be your personal teacher in the fine art of magic." As she grinned, my face turned to stone. "Magic? Really?" I sighed and shook off my surprise "What do I know, makes as much sense as anything else around here. Alright, Midna, what do you have planned for me today? Or is it tonight? Whatever time it is, I am all ears." Her grin then spread to an eerie, ear-to-ear smile "Well, today was just an introduction, but no worries, I'll keep in touch. Good to see you again, Charlie" I was a little shocked that was all she wanted to say "Yeah same to you…" then she suddenly spurt out, "And please say hello to your "Master" for me, when you wake up, will you?" but before I could say ok, in a blink of an eye, I was back in the tent,

"Malon, where did you go? I had…" but as I stepped out of the tent, I saw Malon in fighting stance with her sword drawn. She was drenched in blood and was surrounded by these lifeless monsters. "Oh, you were going to wake up? I thought I was going to kill this small legion on my own." I gave her a dry stare, as she ordered "Grab your weapon; it is time for your crash course in swordsmanship." I followed what she said without hesitation, but still managed to ebb a smart comment "…cause being a master swordsman is in my blood and everything…" and seamlessly, without missing a beat, she added a quick knot to my head, "Funny, Charlie but true. You are lucky I brought that old shield along with us, as well. You know, just in case I didn't have time to teach you jab and dodge. Now get ready, I hear another horde coming."

I heard them charging too, and was getting so nervous, I almost forgot to tell her, "Well, I am as ready as I can be, but before I die. That cat-woman, Midna, says hello." Malon smiled "ah, good…well here they come, hopefully you are as quick a learner with a sword, as you are with your words." Then I saw them, this time alive and deranged; I guess you could call them goblin-like concerning their physical appearance. They mistakenly charged at Malon first, which to my surprise, I felt a little bad considering how fast she mowed them down. I had never seen someone move so fluidly and swift. I was almost in a trance, until I heard the war cry of one of those goblin creatures. He noticed I was free game, and charged at me with a club and axe in hand. (Which I didn't understand how efficient that was, horrifying all the same)

He tried smashing my head in, but for some reason, my predisposition of not getting hit kicked in, and I reacted with a shield block, and then stabbed the sword into its chest. All the while, four more had spotted that I had fallen their friend and made a b-line straight for me. I was lucky Malon had finished her dance of death with the rest of the squadron, because she quickly cut off two of my pursuers, but I still was left with the last two monstrosities. This time, though, I was dealing with a sword specialist and club connoisseur, equipped with somewhat familiar crests on the shields they carried.

The one with the club, attacked first. I was greeted with much of the same downward club smash, and blocked it. As I was about to do my chest stab, though, the other creature saw the opening, and tried a stab of his own. Luckily I lost my footing, and fell on my back. I managed an awkward roll, and was able to reach my sword, and lunged at the club goblin, to make another direct hit, but as I withdrew my blade, the other monster took advantage and followed with the same lunge. (This withdrew my opinion of this sword "specialist", damn copycat…) I was able to block the hit, save for a slice to my left side, and added an elbow to his face, combined with a stab to its heart.

As my dim-witted adversary fell to the ground, Malon ran over, smiling, "Not too bad, Hero, and here I thought I…" then the gloom returned to her face, "Your side, it actually cut you pretty deep…" She quickly pulled out this vile of pink liquid out of this little pouch. "You are lucky, Charlie, you could have died if that thing was any good with a sword. You need to work on your footing." She handed me the bottle, "Only take a little, you have to make it last; especially if you continue to fight like that." I took a couple sips and within seconds, my side healed and scarred up. "Eh, well I finally have a battle scar, here's your bottle, but where did you even get that stuff?" she replied hurriedly "It was an anniversary present from my husband, he thought I would need the backup plan, but it looks like you will get more use out of it."

She started to walk away from me, over to Ava, but I had to ask her "What do you mean backup? I don't need this juice when I have a trained assassin like you to cover me." I smiled, but was met with the cold shoulder, as I watched her strap on my bag and saddle up my girl, Ava. I walked over and jumped on and was waiting for her to join me, when I saw that she had no intention of leaving "Keep straight, Charlie, and when you start to hear children's voices, follow them until they stop, then play them a song that would make even the woods, come to life and dance. Good luck, my hero of Hyrule, and goodbye."

I was starting to understand why I didn't want to leave her side and for the first time in my life, I started to tear up "Master Malon…Malon…No, I can't leave you now, I still need more training, you can't…" As usual, I was cut off, "I said goodbye and you should do the same, there will be more coming, so you need to leave now. I am sorry, Charlie, but this is how it must be. There will be another to help you along with your training, just do not underestimate his lessons. Leave now, we will meet again, I promise." Then she smiled, and I felt like she had just told me she was going to the store, and would be back soon, with cookies. "OK, I…" but following her favorite trend, I was cut off, yet again, as she gave this whistle and Ava immediately started galloping off. I tried turning my horse around, but to no avail. I then made a promise to myself, as Malon had made to me. I vowed to save this land of Hyrule, but even more importantly, to see my mother again. I wanted to thank her, for saving me twice…

CH.3

A new evil and new hope

"So, my hero, when should I be expecting, your grand return?" Malon had just finished packing her husband's food and supplies, for his ride to the castle. They embraced for a kiss, and then he spoke softly "I honestly couldn't tell you, the message from the Princess…err…I guess Queen now, had said, she was having an issue with cleansing something in the old sorcerers living quarters. I guess Ganondorf was able to seep some of his evil into something before he left. I think she is going to have us try and contact the goddesses, to try and purify whatever it is." Malon was worried but trusted her husband and queens abilities. "Alright, but hurry back with Epona, the farmers need a helping hand plowing the fields, and I have already volunteered the both of you." She smiled as her beloved sighed agreeing, "OK, I will try, but if I can't make it back, expect Hyrules "finest" to show in my place. They need something to do."

Malon walked with him to the stable, reminding him of shortcuts to the castle, and some other springs and streams to help refresh Epona. Then as he mounted his horse, he reassured her, "Don't worry, darling, I will be back before you know it, but either way, I'm bringing help, so I am going to need you to get ready some big meals for when I get back. I love you, but I have to go now…oh and keep an eye the fields, I saw Mido messing with some of the crops, so try and catch him before he ends up setting the fields on fire" Then he galloped away as Malon shouted "I love you too, but I am serious, don't goof around at the castle just to stall from coming back, we need to get this done before winter." She saw his hand wave in agreement, and then he was gone.

Malon shook off the memory thinking "If only I went with him…" Malon had a moment to breath, as the sixth wave of creatures surrounded her. This time, another more human figure in a cloak, approached her on his horse. "The years have been kind to you, darling." Malon snapped back "Don't you even dare say that to me again, unless you want to meet the same fate as the rest of your "army"." The man pulled back his hood enough for her to see him sneer "Why so hostile? I did allow you to see your son one last time, you should be appreciative."

Malon looked the man over. His body hadn't changed aside from a more gaudy clothes choice, but his presence itself, had a harsh demeanor. "True, I guess I should thank you, but you will get to meet our son soon enough. By the way, how is our queen, you haven't locked her in the dungeons yet, have you?" The king then withdrew his hood totally, revealing a couple scars, but his face was still unmistakable. "She is alive, which in a couple of days, I won't be able to say the same for our little prodigy. You do know that your fight is frivolous, don't you? How can anyone manage to contend against the Hero of Time?"

The King expected to see despair, but she caught his eyes in a cold stare, and with a smile, she lightly added "Easily, especially when you look at the fact, you're up against the Hero of Fate." The kings sneer turned to a frown as he grew angry with that comment and screamed to his horde "I want all of you to scour the woods for her "Hero", no one is to return to the castle until he is captured; dead or alive." he then turned his attention to Malon "As for you, my dear, will be coming with me back to the castle, for a little reunion."

I couldn't believe it took me some time to realize that I was back in The Lost Woods. We had been galloping along for some time until I felt that we were sufficiently lost to where no one could find us. The blessing was short lived, for the reason we had no way out, either, so I calmed Ava down to a trot. We kept a steady pace until we reached this spring, so I hopped off the saddle, so Ava could take a break to refresh by the water and get a drink. I tried getting my bearing's from the last time I was there, but it was impossible. These really were the Lost Woods. After Ava was finished, I got back on the saddle, when I heard the feint voices of kids, almost the same as when I arrived. With that lead, Ava and I were off …

"I have returned, and all shall pay." The dream had awoken Midna out of a sound sleep. The face that brought back the memories of when she and another hero had locked that evil away many years ago, had returned as an omen. She sat up from her bed and walked towards her mirror, in her boudoir. Midna had made a connection between realms, some time ago, to be able to talk with the royal family. The last time she checked on the castle, their Zelda had explained how the Hero of Time had saved the land once more from the evil sorcerer, and how afterwards Link had wondered into this strange world of Termina and stopped Skull Kid from crashing the moon down to earth. Wild as the story seemed, she had seen crazier happenings. The mirrors main use now, was to just serve its original purpose.

She initially decided on waiting for more time to pass before another meeting was necessary, but the dream made her uneasy. She sat down to open the connection, only to find her own reflection staring back. "Hmm, peculiar, I wonder what is going on over there. I guess I'll just have to see my favorite Princess in person." She then walked to the center of the room, spoke a few incantations, then a circular portal emitting pure light, emerged from the floor. Once she stepped onto the portal, in an instant she was transported into the Royal Chambers.

It was night time and the only light came from a lone candle on the nightstand, by the king and queens bed. She looked to where the mirror should have been and it had been broken into pieces, and then aloud spoke "Hellooo? Dear, Princess, where are you?" to which she heard a whimpering reply from under the sheets of the bed "He has returned, and there is no way to stop him" Midna looked over as the Princess had sat up from under the covers to show a bruised and battered face, which made Midna gasp, "Who did that to your face?!" there was a pause and she replied "…Our honest King, and there is nothing we can do about it. There are no more legends; no more heroes' to save us. All is lost… All is lost… All"

Zelda looked up; about to continue her spiral into insanity, until she looked to Midna's face, and was met with a smile. "Hold your horses, for your realm, maybe, but I still have ace up my sleeve." Zelda's face lit up "How?! Who?!" Midna took a minute to think, she sensed something integral and starting putting together a plan, all the while, she asked the princess for conformation "When did you start to notice that his highness was slipping?" Zelda thought for a moment, and then came up with "Well, I had sent for him to help me contact the goddesses, to purify our castle mages cape from when Ganondorf had worn it.

I should have expected foul play when no one had actually seen him leave the castle all those years ago. The room itself had drawn attention as being haunted, scaring off anyone who would attempt to clean the room. Honestly the garment was almost forgotten until one of the servant women brought it up. I had the very same servant accompany Link and I to the temple.

I told the woman to lay the cape across the Alter of Time as Link and I started to pray. Almost instantly, a dark cloud was dispelled from the cloth, so Link went over to pick it up, and nothing happened." Midna eyebrows rose a little "interesting, what happened next?" Zelda took a breath and continued "I had also brought him to the castle, to ask him if he would help look over Hyrule with me, as temporary King. All that required was just an annual visit here and there. He agreed, as did his wife Malon, but his attitude hadn't changed yet.

I guess his mood started changing after the birth of his child, he was at the castle more often, and seemed to care less and less about his family. He hasn't seen them for two years now, but I still keep in touch with Malon, only I have to sneak around, for he has banned me from leaving the castle. I fear he's took control, and I just don't know what to do." Midna nodded and soared over to the bed and sat next to her counterpart, softly patted her back, and kindly explained the plan, "I'm sorry to hear so much has happened in such little time, but that just means we need to act quick. Now you need to make sure your sister is safe, so I have a spot to send her. Bring her out of the castle walls tomorrow night at the witching hour and there will be a carriage waiting. Please keep your chin up; your father is alive and well, he should be back from the other kingdom in time to see our hero fight his final battle."

Zelda looked alarmed "How do you know of my father's whereabouts, or even if he's alive, it has been so long…"Midna managed a smart comment in all this chaos "If you haven't noticed, I came to you from the floor, so I think I can manage some pretty amazing things." Midna smiled and hovered over to the middle of the room, and added "Now, I need to go check on this Malon and tell her the role she needs to play to make this plan work. Go get your sister ready, I am sure the goddesses have seen the time has come and will send you something helpful for your sister. I will see you soon, good luck." Midna started to head for the window when Zelda stopped her with a question "What do you mean by ace" She turned around with that same smile and answered sparingly "You figure something like this was bound to happen eventually, so who better to defeat this new evil then the Hero of Fate?"…

CH.4

The Hero and the Sage

We followed the voices until they lead Ava and me, to this solid tree stump in a wall. The woods had been alive with chirping, buzzing and all other noises, including the voices, until now. I stepped down from my horse to get a better look at stump. When I looked closer to the center, I saw an engraving of the crest that was on my shield. I jokingly asked my steed "So this is it, huh?" I thought real quick and decided to pull out my ocarina to see if I could breathe life into the woods again, with "Sarias Song". Shortly after playing the tune, the once solid tree was becoming translucent until finally open entirely, I could make out light coming from the other side. Ava looked unnerved, so I patted her mane and led her through, all the while thinking, "I better not wake up in bed, or I am going to be pissed."

As we made our way to the other side of the tunnel, I was not disappointed. We were greeted by these twins. "Stop right there, sir." The authority in there voice shocked me a little, but was even more surprised to find all these kids running around. I looked back to them and replied "uh, ok" The brothers looked me over and walked away to argue quietly "You think it's him?" "Of course it's him." "Well, how do you know?" "It could be the fact; he came walking out of what used to be a solid tree stump with a horse" "It could be a trick." "Or you could be mentally insane, it's him trust me." "Well I'm getting the Chief" "Go get the Chief; he is just going to agree with me." "There are two stumps, maybe the real hero will use the other one, on the ground" "Or maybe, Farore herself will come instead, just stop talking, you know I'm right."

This was crazy; I went from killing goblin creatures, to being questioned by two kids, having a civil war. "Uh…guys?" they didn't even acknowledge my presence "We will see about that" "You know what, you stay her and watch this guy, while I go and get the chief." "That's not fair I called it first." "I'm the older one so I should tell him" "No way, now you're lying." "Really? If I'm not older, how is it that I beat you in everything?" "psh, name one time you beat me." These kids were getting exhausting "Yesterday, remember when we raced around the village." "You obviously have brain damage, or else you would have remembered I beat you by a mile."

I couldn't take any more of that pointless rabble anymore, so I grabbed both of them by the shoulder and offered a solution "Look, how about you both take me to your Chief, and I'll leave my horse with you guys, so you can race around the village to see who gets a better time, sound good?" they did a quick huddle, then broke it up to ask in a cautious tone "What's the catch?" I thought for a second and came up with "you have to feed and get her something to drink, deal?" I was then met with a unanimous "deal, follow us."

As they guided me down this path, I could see all the young inhabitants stopped what they were doing to stare "You all don't get many visitors, do you?" they both shrugged their shoulders "eh, not really. We have only had three outsiders, ever enter our village, counting you, that is." I noticed this whole place was full of life. It looked similar to Malons village aside from the waterfall near the stump I entered through; also, the fact that all of their houses were made from giant tree stumps. (How many big trees were there?) They lead me to this house that was slightly overgrown with weeds, next to the path. I looked to the right, to find that other solid stump, so I figured I would ask the chief about it when I saw him "This is it, he's inside. But uh, what does the horse eat?" I reconsidered shock when I remembered how little contact they had with the outside world. "Oh, she eats hay, carrots, but she loves apples. If she is thirsty, take her to the waterfall. Thanks guys, and don't get lost." I looked on, as they ran off with Ava, although she didn't look too mad about the break.

I walked in and noticed the place had been moved back into, mostly because of this strong, clean smell coming from this long table in the center of the room. I scanned the room and saw a figure sitting at the end of the table. "Hello, Chief? The names…" but I stopped when I got a better look at the familiar, younger face. "Mido! Where the hell have you been? You really thought leaving me to wander around the woods was a great plan, and why didn't you ever tell me anything?" I rushed to him, and he got up from his chair, for some reason shorter, but I was preoccupied.

Then, as always he tried to calm me down with a smile. "It's all good, bro. You found Skull Kid in record time, didn't you? No harm, no foul." I started to fume. "That is not the point; I'm talking about this place or world, whatever, wherever we are. Oh and no harm? A damn goblin tried to slice me in half!" I then showed my scar and Mido frowned "Dude, that sucks, I guess you found out how we got to earth as well, huh?" that comment didn't help his cause "Yeah, "Guardian", speaking of that, Why didn't you help me when I needed you? Remember when we were in school, and that roided out jock decided to use me as a punching bag? Where was the help from the "Great Guardian Mido"?" he shrugged and said "Look, I thought it would build character, but that stuff isn't important now, the past is the past. Since you're here, though, we can work on fighting with swords, it is fun and the least I can do."

Still mad, all I could say to him was double edged "Yeah, the least, if you want to be real help, you can help me find this woman, or would you like to abandon me in the woods again?" He lit up for that statement "Well, you are in luck, Charlie. Your girl is trapped in the old Great Deku Tree." My hopes in my friend had risen again "so let's go now, what are we waiting for?" He didn't budge, his face turned a little timid as he lightly explained "eh it's not that easy, you should train before you go in there." Still a little annoyed, I replied "or you can go get her yourself, then you can actually say you helped me." Mido sighed "I deserved that but it's a no-can-do. You have to do it, and that place scares the heck out of me anyway. Besides, I would be too weak to be any help. If you haven't notice I have gone back to being my regular Kokiri self again." Always excuses but I was a little weary about going to this tree if he was afraid of it. "OK, Mido, but I have a couple questions." He could see I relaxed and replied with a smile "OK, Hero, I have some answers for you."

We sat back down at his table as I asked "What exactly is in this tree, and why is everyone that lives here a child?" He hesitated but slowly started to explain "In Hyrule, we have an interesting problem with spiders and that's all I will say concerning the tree. I will tell you about us "kids", though. A long time, ago…" I then cut him off "I am sure the story is riveting, but could you paraphrase?" Mido grunted "oh sure, why not disrespect the history of my people, cause everyone gets to hear it and visit on the fourth of July to celebrate."

I grinned "Yeah, yeah, just tell me why you all run around here under no supervision." He then scoffed (never saw him scoff before, this chief position already got to his head) "Supervision? I mean you did notice the tree blocking the entrance, right? You ever wonder why these are called the Lost Woods." I thought real quick and came up with "Not until you brought it up, I just thought it was because of the tree coverage." He grunted again "No, the Goddess of Courage, had blessed this land with the Guardian of the Woods, the Great Deku Tree, and from his life, came this village. From time to time a child would wander into the woods and being pure of heart, they found their way out. The same can't be said for the adults who enter the woods. Most are never seen again, but those that do make it out are driven mad. How is your mind state, by the way?"

I met his comment accordingly "eh… I was mad before I even got here. Honestly, though, how are all of you still kids?" his face turned uneasy "I want to say it was because of the Fairies, but they disappeared once the Hero was named King. I guess the Great Deku sustains us" which made me double take. "Really, there were fairies? That's…" but I stopped and decided to just ask about something more normal, like housing arrangements. "It is good seeing you, man, but I'm tired, am I sleeping here?" he looked ecstatic that the Q&A had stopped "Na, bro, we cleaned up your dads old place, well we put in a bed you can fit in. Just follow me, Charlie; I have to introduce you to everyone anyway."

We got up from the table and walked to the door, when that smell came back to my nose, so I had to ask "Mido…did you really bring back wood finish for your table?" he looked at me seriously and said "Well, Yeah, I need my table to look the best, we hold meetings and have our annual feasts here." I started laughing a little "So out of everything in our world, you bring cleaning products?" he started getting flustered "Look it is all about the statement it makes." Still chuckling I pointed out "It's not like bringing an Itouch back with a solar charger wouldn't have boggled their minds." He snapped "Just shut up and let's go I need to introduce you to "my" people." In a joking tone I agreed "Yes, "Chief Mido"." He gave me the evil eye, but switched to a smile once we stepped outside, it was like he knew the whole village was eavesdropping.

I could see all of their faces smiling up at us, then in a loud boisterous voice Mido exclaimed "Greetings everyone, this here is Links son, Charlie, so let's have a big welcome party to celebrate the Hero's return, all in favor say I" the whole crowd screamed a unanimous "I" followed by talking of decorations and lights, what to cook and etc. until a couple moments later, when Mido calmed the group down with a flash bang to speak. (I had no idea where he got this thing from) "The party or festival, I haven't made my mind up about the name yet, will take place in fourteen days, so we need to start setting up, all the…" but he was cut off by one of the twins bashing his way through the crowd "Hero, something is wrong with that horse of yours, she took my brother to "The Path"."

Mido's face went white "Charlie, hurry up and follow me." No reply was necessary. The crowd opened up, as Mido and I bolted to this "Path". As we ran, I managed to form a question "What's on this trail, man, and where does it go?" He almost tripped, but recovered and gasped out "It leads to the Great Deku Tree but has been overrun with plant monsters; it's one of the big reasons why I didn't want to go there." Mido stopped running to have a mini asthma attack, until he spat out, "Is there any way you call that horse, a ride would be appreciated. I mean, we need to check if it is ok." I paused and was brought back to what Skull Kid had told me.

That country tone resonated through my memory followed by his words "This piece is called "Eponas Song"; our last Hero had used it to call his steed…" I thought if it worked for Epona, I was sure Ava was taught it as well. As I pulled out my Ocarina, to my surprise, Mido saw it and started to flip out "Hold on, how in the world you get that? It doesn't belong to you!" I got loud "Now is not the time, just let me play this." I took a breath and played her song loud and clear, and within a few seconds, I was greeted by my girl, Ava. Already hyped, I shot onto the saddle and threw Mido on behind me, and then we were off to save the twin.

After a few minutes, we found the lost twin under a tree in its roots, almost caged in, and hiding from these two giant, man-eating plant creatures. (Their heads were huge with teeth, so I just assumed they were carnivores.) We both jumped down and stepped to the plants. They somehow sensed our arrival, and turned around to greet us. Mido took on the first one, he rolled forward and just before the plant snapped at him, and he jumped to the right and sliced the neck off like a twig. I unsheathed my sword and shield in time, just before the other one tried snapping my head off, I replaced my head with the shield, to give me time to return the favor. Suddenly, two more emerged from the ground, and with no hesitation, Mido took out one of them by jumping left, then used his momentum to turn it into a roll around the plant to jump up and do sword spin that ended in plant decapitation.

The one that chose me decided on a head-butt to which I merely used my shield to retaliate, which knocked the plant out cold. This allowed me to dramatically take it out executioner style, but when I looked to Mido, he was shaking his head and smiling. As Mido and I, looked for anymore plant creatures, the twin moved out from under the roots "Thanks, I guess I tried pushing the horse too hard and it got mad. I'm sorry; I was just trying to beat my brother." I sighed "it's all good, little man, I needed to see what my teacher could do anyway" then I turned to him "Not too shabby, for a kid." I grinned and was met with the same "Thanks, but those are only the monsters on the path, I see it might take more than a couple of days to teach you any real swordsmanship" Mido reminded me about the Ocarina, and I told him about my meeting with Skull Kid. Also I had told him, that this place was crazy, but at least I had my best friend back to help. We all decided to race back, Ava won of course, but it was fun none the less…

"Excuse me, Driver? Where are we going?" The carriage ride was quiet, except for the poor girls tears "Ah, she can speak, I thought I was going to have to hear you whine the whole ride." The driver chuckled "we are going somewhere to keep you safe. Honestly you should be honored to be going to our destination. Not many, well, almost no one gets to enter this village." Young Signy looked out the window, but it was pitch black "OK, I just wish my sister was here…" and with that she started to cry again when the driver spoke with noble tone "Signy Anastasia," the girls waterworks stopped "You need to relax, dear child, I don't know if you remember hearing any of the old stories, but I'm a friend of the Family. Now where you're staying might seem scary but I and one other will come to see you from time to time, to give you supplies and some instruction." The child lit up "Is that other person, Zelda?" the driver sighed "No…eh, not exactly, our friends name is Sheik."

Signy frowned but still optimistically added "that name sounds like one of Zelda's guards, so I guess it's OK, maybe they can pass messages to her, for me." The driver sighed again "Yeah, maybe, but like I said, relax. You should rest before we get there. We have a little something planned for you when we arrive." The little girl was yawning before the driver finished the sentence "OK, I am tired, so I think I am going to try and get some sleep, thank you and goodnight." Midna felt bad for the child, being thrown into this at such a young age, but if they were going to win this fight, it was necessary…

Mido, the twin, and I were met with applause, as we got back the village. I looked on as Mido embellished the story, saying there was wave upon wave of creatures, even the twin joined in saying he had taken some plants down himself, before he had to take "shelter" from the "Big Boss" plant. The best part was seeing those kids' faces sucking everything up like a sponge. I started to walk off but left Ava there to add to the grandeur of their story.

I looked up to see it was almost time for the sun to set, but when I looked to the waterfall, I saw one of the villagers sitting at the top of the cliff. They spotted me looking, and waved at me, then gave this follow me sign. I rushed towards the path and followed it back to the top. Even though I was running, I was oddly mellow, but still kept a good pace. Once I reached the pinnacle of the cliff I was able to make out that the person was a girl. She ran through the stump before I could get a better look, so I followed along.

As I entered back into the woods I could hear a voice "Come Charlie, it is time." The voice was so sweet and calming, I thought it was the woman from my dream. She kept repeating it as I wandered through the woods trying to find the owner. The voice had led me to a maze and then quickly through that obstacle as well. I started walking an old set of steps, surrounded by trees that made somewhat of a hallway to another set. As I walked to the top of the last staircase, I saw the voice had led me to an old temple in the wall. I looked down to see this woman sitting on a regular size stump, humming and staring at the temple.

I started to walk closer and could partly make out her body. She had bright green hair and wore the same clothes as the other girls of the village, but she was more radiant, just pure, I couldn't put her into words. "A hello would be nice, dear Hero" to my surprise, that voice made me blush. "I…uh…Hello…um… what is your name, if I may impose?" She giggled and turned around to see my jaw drop "My name is Saria, and I want to thank you for putting up with Mido for all this time. Also I would like to applaud you for making it through every obstacle so far. It must have been rough trying to find Mido, again."

I nodded but my jaw still hadn't reattached yet "Speaking of the village, it is beautiful, isn't it?" I managed to smile and nod, I thought that all the people from this "Kokiri Village" were kids, but she was different; shapely body, luminous eyes, matched with an even more shining smile. I tried my hand at speech, but still stumbled "Wow…I…no problem, but your body, I mean face, everything. I thought the kids of the village; I mean you're not a child." As I was rambling on she walked over and quieted me by putting her finger to my lips to shush my nonsense and smiled "Keep it up and I'll be as red as you." I felt flattered, because she wasn't lying, her cheeks grew a rosy glow.

She then walked back to the stump to grab something and began to talk again "Now to tell you what happened, I am also the Forest Sage, well I was. It was some time ago when I helped you and Mido escape, we had just arrived to the gate to earth. Kai and Kouma ambushed us as we tried to get through, but I was able to make a shield to block them from following, so we could get through safely. Once we were securely there, the other sages found out what I did, which created a small disagreement between them. While they were distracted, Mido and I found the perfect families for the both of you, and switched some of their memories around to give the both of you a home until you were ready.

Earth had allowed Mido and me to age as well, but the big problem for me was facing the other sages once we returned. Mido has gone back to his previous form, while I am still stuck like this, I guess this is my punishment, but hopefully they will reconsider." Still soaking in all of what she said I managed another sentence "I don't think it's a punishment, honestly, you look amazing, but I am sure if you help me save this place, the Sages won't have any other choice, but to give you another shot. Oh and what did you mean by "the time has come" you said it like a hundred times." her cheeks grew an even redder glow "I kind of wanted to make a grand entrance, so to speak."

I got a little closer to her and tried to speak smoothly "You could have introduced yourself in a cloak with your voice alone, and I'd be able to see your beauty." She giggled again and said "Laying it on a little thick, don't you think?" I grinned and moved in even closer, "I got to where I wanted, so I'd say I paved perfectly." I went in for a kiss, but was met with a hand "Sorry, but this can't happen. I mean, maybe in…" But with that rejection, I switched the subject "Err…You're coming back with me, right?" her face was beet red "Of course, although, I have seen that my old house has been made into a museum of sorts." I nodded and looked around the woods, when an ice breaker came to mind, so I turned back to her "I know you have probably played it like a million times, but could you play your song for me?" She nodded and pulled out her Ocarina and said "I would love to, but only if it is a duet, sound good?" I smiled and got mine out as well. "OK, sounds good."

As we played, I felt our bond grow stronger; even the woods presence seemed to grow, the breeze from before started up again. The melodies intertwined and I noticed that whole forest shook with happiness. Once we stopped, our notes were still playing in the woods. To my surprise, our rendition even drew out, our friend, Skull Kid "Well what do we have here, the Hero and the Sage, can I join in?" I sighed as she smiled and said "Alright, but this is the last time." Our third rendition, surprisingly, had attracted the whole village, excluding the Chief. All of them were watching and dancing, until we decided to relax. I took a deep breath and turned to my scarecrow friend "So what do we owe the pleasure of your company to, any news?" He chuckled "No, I just couldn't pass up the chance to play with the both of you, but that does remind me that we need to have a chat, Charlie. Take care." Then poof, he was gone.

We started walking back, when another idea had popped in my head, and I was hoping for another success. "Um…Saria…since you don't have a place anymore…you can stay with me, if you want. Mido told me I have a bigger bed and if you don't mind sharing…" she blushed yet again "Ok, but on two conditions, I'm sure you have a horse, so you must introduce me. The second, is that I want you to come with me, to see Mido." I was a little confused "I thought he would have been first on your list." Her face grew uneasy "I know he means well, but he can be a little too clingy at times." I sighed and agreed "I understand, but first we should get these kids back to town before the sun goes down." That comment got her to smile "These kids have trekked through this forest more than anyone, so if anything, they will help you get back safely."

I forgot the kids were the experts when it came to this place, so I rested my caution, and asked Saria "What was it like to be a Sage? What were you able to do?" She took a deep breath "I use to help the Great Deku Tree keep the children and the fairies from harm. I could fly, heal, and do many other things at a moment's notice, but only when deemed necessary. I guess you could say I was another Guardian of the Forest. Once the King had taken power, the princess told me the plan, and I just had to help."

I noticed the kids had run ahead of us, and we were just walking along aimlessly. "I've been thinking, since everyone else seems to know him, did you ever meet the last Hero?" she slowed our pace, but her voice remained steady "Yes, actually, that Ocarina that you play with, belonged to me. I gave it to him the day he left our village, for the first time. It's a special instrument, though, since we played my song together, it has given us the ability to let us communicate no matter where we are…" then she stopped to look me in the eyes "…that's a hint." I smiled and put my arm around her for the rest of the walk "OK, I promise to keep in touch."

We stepped into the village and were greeted by an infuriated Mido. "So, what's going on here, hmm?! Saria how can you go see him first without even a hello and you!" he walked over to me and started poking at my chest "You are supposed to be my friend, and you go off gallivanting with the only…" but I pushed him away and cut him off before his head could explode any further "Dude, relax, all we did was play a song. The proof is in the woods, you're lying to me if you can't hear the song echoing through. Besides I have to focus on my training, right? That girl isn't going to save herself."

He started to calm down, so we started walking back down the trail and stopped at his house and in a more normal tone, he replied "You're right, man; we have got a lot to go over before you even attempt to take on the Tree." He smiled then dreamily looked over to Saria "You look ravishing, by the way, but Saria, I have been thinking. Since the Know-It-All brothers turned your house into a shrine for the Sages, an idea I gave them before we left, I was thinking you could stay with me. I've got everything you'll need, and…"I could see her face growing uneasy again, so I interjected "My bad, bro, I already asked her to stay with me. I need to find out as much as I can about this place and what I should do after I save the girl. Who better to ask then a Sage, right?" he frowned, but at least wasn't mad. "OK, but no funny business, I'll be watching you, Charlie." Then he walked off grudgingly into his house, as Saria started leading us to my humble abode.

In a few seconds, we stood in front of another tree house, and as I was about to climb up, Saria stopped me. "Thanks for calming down Mido, but aren't you forgetting something?" I drew a blank until I saw my steed was M.I.A. "ah, can you give me a second." I played "Ava's Song" and she came rushing out of the woods with the twins hanging on for dear life. As Ava slowed to a stop in front of us, the twins rolled off the saddle "Sorry guys, but that's enough riding for today, my girl needs a rest." The twins slowly got up from the ground and grunted "OK, but I think the both of us are good for a while, we are in a lot of pain." Saria and I laughed as they waddled away.

She then walked to my horse and started petting her mane "She is beautiful, Charlie, what is her name?" I walked to Sarias side and did the same "it's Ava, she's fast too, Malon told me her mother belonged to the King." Saria saw the sadness in my face and sighed "ah, I knew this horse looked familiar, but you need not to worry about the king. For your information the two of you are nothing alike, well where it counts." I had just tied up Ava's reigns and we both had climbed the ladder and walked into "My" house.

She started getting the bed ready when I asked her "How can we be nothing alike, but still be the same, I don't know what you are trying to…" but she stopped messing with the bed, walked towards me, and gave me this sincere look that stopped me "I'll tell you this," she paused then looked into my eyes. "You are our hero, the blood of evil runs through your veins, I am not going to lie to you, but good does as well. What you and your father have, is Power, but how you use that power, is what makes you different. Your father was once a courageous man, but has lost sight of what made him the Hero, so his Courage was made into Power. Although, they are one in the same, Power alone, is destructive and unforgiving, while Courage is Power used for a righteous and noble cause. Even though Power is endless, it will never be controlled and will always have a thirst for more. More control, more obedience, more everything, but Courage is different. Courage runs on one thing and depends on it, just as your body depends on it to keep pumping." She was amazing at pep talks and all while keeping eye contact, she got closer and put her hand on my chest. "It's your heart, Charlie, as long as you mean well, and fight for the good of the people, for the good of the world, then I promise, that you will never have to worry about becoming your father."

I was shocked she read me so well, but smiled and said "Thank you for the talk, I rea…" but she followed up with another shocker, because before I could finish talking, she gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek as she started pulling me to the bed "That's enough talking for the night, don't you think? We both should get some shuteye; you have a busy day tomorrow. Oh, and I forgot to ask, would it be ok if I take Ava out tomorrow?" I was still caught up on the hug and kiss "uh…yeah sure. Mido is going to start training anyway." As we both settled into bed, she pointed out the neutral zone; so as I put my hopes to rest, we both said goodnight and I drifted off to sleep.

"Let's go, Romeo, time for you to learn." But I was trying to sound Midna out, to attempt to get a good night sleep. She got annoyed, so she floated over and gave me a pinch. I opened my eyes and grabbed for my arm "What was that for?" she chuckled and flew back to her previous spot "I don't like to be ignored, now get up, we need to discuss some things pertaining about the principals of magic, before we move on to a technique I like to call, Shadow Wielding." I tried out a scoff of my own and jestingly asked "OK, is Shape shifting next or are we moving on to fireballs afterwards?" Midna's face went blank, then looked to my feet as she got my shadow to kick me in my shin and started to chuckle again "Very funny, any more jokes, Charlie?" I gave her a dirty look as I said "Na, I'm good."

Midna smiled and began her lesson "In order to even attempt the slightest bit of magic, you must understand how it works. Now to explain the basic principle of magic, we will use an example, shadow wielding. Think of your shadow, as you think of your sword and shield, because either of these should be seen as an extension of your body. Think about it, when you blocked that plant head butt, did you think to raise the shield up, or to rise up the arm that holds the shield?" I looked at her confused, for the fact she caught me off guard "uh, I couldn't tell you, I just thought defend; but how'd you…" she got excited and just talked over me "Exactly, you thought shield, because the shield protects you. Magic relies on the same principal that told you to use the shield, instinct. There is another ingredient that you might have trouble, but maybe not." I shrugged and guessed "…is it remembering some crazy spell?" She sighed "No, incantations are used only in portal magic. The hardest part of training is to get your pupil to actually believe in it, if you don't think you can do something, you won't." I replied quick "I have seen some crazy stuff already, so I think I can handle my own shadow."

She nodded in disapproval and spoke with concern "Everything you have seen or interacted with was already imbued with magic, you have not on your own done any real magic but merely aided in the process, which defines that sort of magic, as circumstantial. I need you to trust in magic as you trust in your instinct." I was scratching my head, trying to jumpstart it "I…OK" Midna looked worried but smiled "It is contradictory in your nature, I'm sure, but you have to understand, magic doesn't make sense. Do you get what I am trying to say?" still scratching what was left of my mind blown cranium, I got out "Yeah…I think I'm regressing instead of moving forward." To my surprise, her worry was replaced with hope and triumph. "Good, I guess I can give you a break tonight on the real training since you are starting to get the basic point of the magical arts." I didn't even attempt a reply as she kept going "as the old saying goes, well some form of it, you have to empty your cup, before you can add in anything new, night, Charlie."


	3. Chapter 5

CH.5

A Childs Training Day, and a Familiar Parting

"Morning, sleepyhead" Saria was gently shaking my shoulder. "C'mon, Charlie, you have to eat quick, Mido is outside waiting." I opened my eyes to find her smiling and sitting at the edge of the bed, with a platter of food in hand. I tiredly grinned and sat up from the bed "Thanks for breakfast, but Mido didn't see you get the food for me, did he?" she smirked back "Yes, actually, he helped me gather up everything. Granted, he did think the food was for me." I shrugged and let out "Eh, works for me."

I was almost finished eating, when I noticed my cook looking at me "Well, any good?" I couldn't help but say "five out of five master chef." Her face lit up and she exclaimed "Excellent, I was worried that my cooking was going to be a little off." I got up from the bed and made my way to the table "You're crazy, the food was on point, but now I have to make you dinner. By the way, where do I clean up these dishes?" but she simply smiled and replied "I'll take the plates and get the food for tonight, don't you worry." I was a little shocked "Are you sure? It is not a problem to…" but then Mido burst in "Let's go, Charlie, we got work to do, oh and Saria how was breakfast?" still smiling she replied hurriedly "It was good, thanks again for helping, but you two go, I need to start cleaning up."

She waved us off as we walked outside. Mido lead me to his house and was explaining "Today, you are going to be working on horizontal swings and maybe after tomorrow, we will start on vertical, cool?" I was getting excited "Cool, but you have to give me a sec' I left my sword at the house." But he stopped me before I could turn around "Not with your sword, but with this…" he walked into his house and came out with a sickle. "Here you go, and while you're at it, get the other house too." I looked at him curiously "Uh, what are my targets?" He smirked and slyly said "Overgrown weeds, now get to training." I trudged on for two days with that sickle, landscaping the whole village.

For two days after that he had me "train" with horizontal slices, by cutting up firewood. My day time activities were more than tedious, but I always had amnesty once the sun set. The village would come to Mido's house and sit around his table to eat and tell stories. Sarai, Mido, and I would talk about our old earth, but mostly tried to map out the steps I should take after saving this girl. By the time I laid my head down to sleep, I had to be ready to learn more of the magic trade from Midna.

After the forth night, I was still a novice by far, but I was slightly able to manipulate mine and some small objects shadow. Midna was constantly reminding me to relax my head and focus, but this whole idea of me doing any kind of parlor trick of the sorts, was still unfamiliar territory. She ended the lesson with a test. She had me move a glass of water and to my surprise; it waddled to the left awkwardly. When I turned to her, I expected disappointment, but was met with praise "Very good, I guess a penguin glass is a start, but you are getting better."

I loved waking up, though; the best start of the day is waking up to a hot meal. "Morning, Charlie, time to get up and eat." I stretched and rolled over to sit up when she continued "oh and Mido came by this morning to tell me that you are going to need your sword today, so let's get going." I got up wearily; all the yard work Mido had me doing was actually giving me a workout "Hopefully I will be able to swing the sword, Mido is weirdly enough, a pretty tough trainer." She shook her head and was grinning "You will be fine, but chop-chop, start eating or you won't be able to finish before he comes to get you." I nodded and scarfed down my grub and bolted outside, excited to finally be working with my sword.

I was running towards his house when the twins stopped me "Hey, Charlie, Mido told us to lead you to his thinking spot." I sighed and shrugged as I started to follow them back to the gate near the waterfall. As we walked through a question came to mind "So guys I have to ask, what is it like to be a kid for so long?" one of them replied "I don't know, peaceful I guess, everyone just plays all day, well unless Mido finds something for us to do. What's it like to grow up?" I hesitated and decided on my personal opinion "Well…it's rough. You have more responsibilities. Be it getting a job; raise a family, or even just figuring out your purpose in life. Everybody's path is different, but it is all about learning to be responsible."

They stopped to look at one another, then we continued to walk and sometimes run for a couple minutes until they slowed the pace down to look back to me and say "We've been thinking, and that doesn't even make any sense, if you don't know the answer to something; it's rude to make it up." I shook my head and dryly replied "What was I thinking, I'm sorry for wasting your time, but please tell me we're close to…speak of the devil." As my friends face came into perspective, I noticed he was sitting near the same spring Ava and I had passed days before.  
As we walked up to him, he started in on the twins "What took you two so long? Charlie and I have work to do, you guys know that…" I was sounding out his rabble with the mere thought of how could he have been so relaxed and mischievous in the other world but be a total stick in the mud here? I focused back onto the task at hand and interjected before he could chide the kids any further "It's all good, man, I'm here now so let's just get started." He shrugged and waved them off as he started his next lesson.

"So being that I have already seen some of your handy work, I have to say, you fumble around with that sword like a short circuited robot." He looked somewhat serious, but I still was ready with a comment of my own. "True, maybe if someone did their job in the first place, we wouldn't have that issue…" his eyes started to flare a little "Yeah, yeah you can stop reminding me, but really though, you move like your feet are tied to concrete blocks..." He picked up his sword and started to move from the spring over to me. "There are a couple things that can overcome brute strength, the one I'm teaching, is agility…" He then stabbed his sword into the ground before him. "If your opponent can't keep up with you, he can't hit you, so take your sword out and copy what I did."

My suspicions of being played with had peaked but I did what was asked "I'll keep playing along, but if you don't start teaching soon, I am walking back." I saw his patience was growing thin as well. "Cool your jets, Charles, I'm getting there." I shrugged as he continued "We are going to be working on jumping and rolling in order…" to which hearing that, I turned around and started to walk back to the house before getting hit with something loud and was knocked out cold.

When I came to, he was sitting next to the spring playing with the fish. Once I shook off the rest of my haze; I started to yell at him "What the hell, man? Was it necessary to throw one of those little bombs, directly at my head?" he started to grin and chuckle as he started to walk back to me. "No, but you can't say that I don't have good aim, but now, you really should start training." I contemplated on leaving again but I didn't think I could handle any more brain damage, so I grudgingly agreed "ok, Chief, but you are going to have to show me the technique, I'm not as used to skipping around as you." He had me jumping around for the rest of the day, as well as the next. I was getting a little nervous, though, it was almost time to save this girl, and I still felt I was going in there blindsided.

I had to admit; my time in Kokiri Village was like heaven; fresh air, no worries, but more importantly, Saria and I had grown closer. The one big reason how we got along so well was that she understood me to the tee, the other, I guess, was because she was the closest to my age around there, body and mind. I hoped this didn't bother Mido too much, but it looked like he didn't seem to mind.

We had just finished his lesson in time for the sun to set, when I looked to him tiredly as he started speak "Good work, Charlie, you can roll with the best of us." Mido and I had started to walk back "Yeah, I am a regular armadillo, so what's the plan for tomorrow?" he sighed and uneasily got out "Well…it's time to go see the Great Deku Tree. We will head out first thing in the morning, but tonight you can just relax." I was relieved, but I matched his uneasy demeanor "Nice, thanks for helping man, and I hate to tell you, but you know you're coming with me back through that path. On another note, though, I hope Midna will give me a break, I don't know if I'd even be able to focus." His face looked puzzled "You've been talking to Midna?" I was trying to explain our meetings in the sanest way I could "Uh…well at night, when I go to sleep, she wakes me up in this temple and trains me on something else, I mean this whole place is crazy so why not have another trick up my sleeve." He shrugged "Eh, if you say so."

Once we got back, I could see the kids were getting a little antsy "So Mido, does everyone already know about tomorrow?" his face returned back to his chiefly expression "Of course, since you arrived, they have been counting the days until they could see their friend again. Midna made sure she had a little party before she was put into that tree. They all loved her, so you better not disappoint them." I caught him real quick once I replayed what he said in my head "Are you telling me that you locked away a little girl in a tree?" he shook off the question nonchalantly "It wasn't my idea, you're going to have to ask Midna about that." I decided on leaving the question for the girl, once I saved her. He stopped once we got to his house "Be ready, bro, I'll see you tomorrow." I followed his lead and headed back to my house.

Once I stepped inside, as always, Saria greeted me with a smile "Big day tomorrow, so I made you something special, also I prepared a special dish for you as well, so hurry up and sit down." I smelled the garlic salmon permeating from the plate and it took seconds before the food disappeared, but she didn't seem too surprised. "Ah, sorry for the sloppiness, but you have some real talent with a pan. What's the other surprise?" still smiling, she walked over to the bed and grabbed a bag from under the pillow and walked it over. "Well, it is two presents, really. This bag is special, it may look small, but inside is an infinite amount of space, so you can hold anything that you may need and find on your journey, you just need to think of the object once you put your hand in, and it will appear as you pull it out. The real special gift is inside it as we speak, think slingshot."

I was skeptical but tried it out, I slowly put my hand in and thought of the appropriate object and as I took my hand out I opened my hand to find an action figure sized wrist rocket that suddenly sprouted to normal size. A little nervous about the whole business I looked it over "So…uh…not to be rude, but what makes it special?" She got a little flustered "It's special because I made it for you, I see…" her flustered face turned to a frown "You don't like it do you, I know it's a little childish and…" but before she said another word I explained my vagueness "Give me a second. I love it, who else could have made me such a beautiful weapon. I just didn't want to be surprised if it started shooting fireballs." I smiled, gave her a big bear hug, and walked with the dishes to the door to try and find where she cleaned them when she stopped me "I have them under control, you just focus on getting some rest."

I sighed and put my old clothes, that bunny mask, and the weird magnifying glass into my new bag and sadly settled into bed, because I knew I would never win any argument with her anyway, but she saw my concern. "You have no reason to worry, you will save her, I have faith in you. Promise me you will stay optimistic. The only way you can fail, is if you stop believing in yourself, now please, Charlie, get some sleep." I sighed and agreed as I shut my eyes, I heard her footsteps head outside as I fell asleep.

Midna actually did give me the night off. After a successful cup moving of course and to my surprise, she was basically silent, aside from the good morning and good luck. I was awoken by the loud applause from outside of the house. Saria was not around but she had my breakfast ready at the foot of the bed. As I was eating, everything was starting to become real. My nerves were a wreck, and I was contemplating on making a break for it and run, when Saria walked in "I guess it is time to go see the Great Deku Tree, but first, I want to take you to play a little game." Her face shined in the light but she caught me off guard but I was a little happy "er…ok? If you think it is fine to wait a little, you're the Sage."

I strapped on my sword and shield, as we stepped outside, everyone cheered and stared as we made our way down the ladder. Mido calmed them all down and shooed them off to the side as he approached. "You ready man? There is no getting out of this now, so be prepared." I was about to tell him about Sarias game when she beat me to it, as she started to tug on my arm. "Sorry, Mido, but I need to steal him real quick before he goes to the Tree." His face immediately turned jealous as he grudgingly said "ok, but hurry up, or I'll hunt you down, Charles."

With that, Saria sped off, dragging me along behind her. We flew passed the waterfall and the gate, and kept running until we reached this cliff. I noticed on the other side of the clearing, there was a tree holding up this stump. She rearranged my position and started her tutorial "So here is the game; your goal is to try and hit the center of the target four times in a row. If you do that, you get a prize." I looked around for some rocks to use as ammo but all I could see was grass. "I like the idea of a prize, but what am I going to shoot it with?" she grinned and in a matter of fact way, told me "Well, you should check your bag of course. I'm sure you will find something in there to use." I took out the wrist rocket then thought of ammo, and weirdly enough, I pulled out a few walnut shells.

My first shot was horribly off but after the third, my aim improved. It took a couple tries but once I got it, Saria screeched "You did it, Charlie." She quickly turned around and ran to this bush that apparently had been behind us. As she got closer, the branches started to spread apart, revealing a hole in the ground. I walked over to her while scratching at my head "Saria, what just happened?" she just pulled me over to the hole, and then she jumped down, so naturally I followed blindly. I expected a plunge to my doom, but we floated down to the ground instead.

I looked around astonished, there was tile flooring leading up to this fountain surrounded by water in a huge basin that spanned half the room. It looked like the entire place was made out of some kind of ivory white marble. The fountain itself seemed to sparkle and gleam which accentuated its beauty and the waters purity. I looked ahead to find a few steps leading to that familiar crest, only now golden. I looked back to Saria and noticed she had pulled out her ocarina "I'm guessing we'll be playing another duet?" She sighed "No, I need to teach you a special song, could you please stand over there on that crest?" I agreed and walked over to my new position and took out my instrument as well.

Once she started, I noticed the sweet pattern was making me a little tired, but I shook it off, and replayed it. Once I finished, this half naked, floating woman flew out of the water, instantly giggling. She smiled at Saria and I, then in a whimsical voice, spoke softly "Ah, Saria, you have arrived, and this strapping young man, must be our hero." She soared over to me, and somehow lifted me up in the air as well. I was a little shocked but managed an introduction and a question "Um, nice to meet you, miss, the names Charlie. What's, uh, the prize for winning the game up there?" I didn't notice but Saria had walked over to the fountain and started to play with the water.

The woman glanced at her then focused back to me "You are here to take on the responsibility of watching over the Force of Courage." I was looking for Saria to elaborate, but she still was solemnly fiddling with the water, then the woman continued "I am the Great Fairy of the Woods and with the blessing of the current Keeper of Courage; I will transfer the power over to you. With this gift in hand, your skin will become more resilient and you will be able to persevere in even the darkest of hours. When all is dark and gloomy, the power will shine light to guide you." As the fairy spoke her poem, I saw Saria began to float beside me.

She then drew the both of us towards the center of the fountain. She turned to Saria and then spoke a noble tone "Do you, Guardian of the Woods, Keeper of Courage wish to pass your power to the Hero of Fate?" She sighed and clearly said "Yes, Great Fairy." The Fairy then turned to me "Hero of Fate, do you accept this blessing, and vow to protect it with your life?" I looked at Saria to see her nod, so I turned my attention back to our host and agreed "Yes, Great Fairy." The woman then flew outside the fountain waters, and began to mutter something.

As she finished, the water in the fountain left the basin and formed a shimmering shield light and water, around us. Saria stepped to me and began to tear up "Charlie, once the process is complete, you won't be seeing me for again for a long time." I was smiling, and then my expression turned to a dead frown "but…but why? What about your song? We still can talk, right?" she gave me a halfhearted smile. "Yes, we still can communicate, but it turned out you were right." Confused, I had to ask "What do you mean?" she started to full on cry as she replied "I am being reinstated as the Forest Sage, on one condition. I had to give you Force of Courage, but being that Sages are not allowed direct contact with others, I have to leave to go with them." We had already floated closer; almost speechless, I was attempting to say something, when she came closer to embrace for a kiss. It felt like we had been there for some time, when we took a breath, she took advantage of the moment "Goodbye, Charlie, we will meet again." Then the shield burst open.

After my eyes adjusted, I noticed I was standing back on the crest, with the fairy woman lying down in the air smiling, but when I looked for Saria, she was nowhere to be found. She saw my face and spoke sweetly "she has not abandoned you, dear Hero, just think of her as your Guardian Angel. I am sad to say that this and a small gift are all the help I can give you. I have sisters spread across Hyrule that will be able to aid you on your quest. Look for their doors with keen eye. Now your princess is waiting, Hero, good luck." The fairy then did this super shimmer spin then disappeared in a flash.

I was thinking about the girl in my dream and put together that she was this princess. I noticed, though, after she flew back to wherever she went, these small pink lights with wings appeared over the water. Suddenly I heard the Fairy's voice echo through the cavern. "Take the bottle in the middle of the room, it is able to hold one of my sacred fairy friends. Catch one and keep it safe, the day will come when you will need to defy death itself and they are the key." I stepped into the water, and made my way over to the fountain to find that bottle. I accidently bumped into one of the fairies and it started to fly around me, trailing pink lights behind it. For some reason I felt like it had given me some kind of vitality boost or a backup life; almost like a cat. It flew off to somewhere after it did its healing dance. I retrieved the bottle and after a few tries, I caught one.

Afterwards, I walked back to the entrance of the place and looked for a ladder to get back up, but I found nothing. I started to panic until I noticed something shining on my wrist. As I looked closer, I saw the same crest that adorned almost everything important or useful in this world, on this new brace of mine. The color of the body itself was a brilliant emerald/turquoise with two gold stripes in the middle, with that same ivory white color between them. It wouldn't budge off my arm, but it didn't bother me too much, considering Sarias last present. I looked at the light shining through the hole, trying to think of a way out, when I started floating upwards, and stopped once I landed in front of it. I ran over to the cliff, but I saw that the tree with the target was gone, even when I turned around; the bush and the hole were gone, as well.

I looked to my wrist and tried to contemplate how I got out of that place when Mido came running at me "What are you two doing?! Did you forget something Charles?" I tried to snap back into reality "I…uh, Na, man, I just had to do something real quick, I'm ready now, though." I called Ava and we both hopped on when he asked the question "Where's Saria? Isn't she coming back with us?" my face went blank, as I told him "I hate to have to be the one to tell you this but…she… she had to leave, I'm sorry." His face went cold as he started muttering to himself "She never says goodbye to me…why does she never say goodbye…why…" he was quietly muttering the whole ride back to the village, even as the crowd cheered us on, his demeanor stayed the same. Once we reached the path, we both got off the saddle and started to trek through. I was happy he came with me because he was taking out his aggression on all the plants which helped give me a reprieve before entering the tree. After he killed the last one blocking our way, we turned the corner to arrive to this huge clearing with a gigantic old tree hulking over a more regular Redwood.

As we walked over, Mido let me lead the way. To my surprise, once we reached the regular sized tree, it started to talk to us; I don't know if it was in our heads or what but I decided on going with the flow. "The Hero of Fate has come, wonderful, thank you Mido for keeping him safe," Mido grunted back with his arms crossed, and then the tree continued "behind me, is the last Great Deku Tree, and within his roots, is the princess you seek. Be warned, there is an infestation of evil lurking in his catacombs. Tread softly, Hero, evil will show no mercy, and when you return to me, I will inform you of more concerning your legend and how this world came to be. I will be waiting." As the Great Deku Tree spoke, the old tree opened what looked to be its mouth. I looked at Mido, and he just shooed me on. As I walked to the entrance, the girls' voice from my dreams sounded through the mouth "You can do this, Hero, I know you can." I unsheathed my sword and took my shield in hand, then looked to my wrist; it was shining like a star.


End file.
